AIBU?
to not understand why people buy "real" jewels?
trob22 · 02/11/2018 18:56
I'm not in the market for expensive jewellery, lol, just curious
I have just learnt that you can buy "lab created" saphires which are literally exactly the same as a "real" saphire in terms of what they're made of, but a fraction of the price. In fact they are better than real saphires because they don't have the imperfections that come from growing in the ground. With this in mind, why would anyone buy a "real" sapphire when they are so much more expensive? What is the point? Apparently nobody apart from professional jewellers can tell them apart.
Chanelprincess · 04/11/2018 14:14
I don't like fake anything though, I would prefer to not have it all rather than cheap imitation pieces. I am the same with designer items. I would prefer a good £40 leather handbag than a fake "wannabe" designer lookalike.
I agree and I have a huge issue with people who buy illegal counterfeit designer goods. Apart from the statement it makes about the person, it's highly unethical and immoral.
Chanelprincess · 04/11/2018 15:49
How can we be certain diamonds are ethical? I've read that a Kimberley certificate (please correct me if I have the wrong term) means very little.
I don't think you could ever be certain but I would research potential suppliers before deciding whether to purchase a particular stone, rather than relying on a certificate. As I understand it, the KP doesn't ban diamonds that fund war crimes and abuse of human rights and it doesn't address unfair practices through irresponsible diamond mining, but I may be wrong.
PixieBob28 · 04/11/2018 22:38
@holidayshopping
Moissanite is a gemstone born from the stars. It was first discovered in 1893 by a French scientist named Henri Moissan, who later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He discovered microscopic particles of the gem that would eventually bear his name in Arizona, in a crater created by a meteorite that fell to Earth. He initially thought that he had discovered diamonds, but later determined that the crystals were composed of silicon carbide.
Natural moissanite is incredibly rare, so moissanite available today is laboratory-created. After many years of trial and error, the particles Moissan discovered were successfully synthesized to produce what is now one of the world’s most scintillating gemstones.
Moissanite is engineered to give the illusion of similarity to diamonds, but is compositionally and visually quite different from a real diamond. The durability, brilliance, and color of the two gems are quite distinct.
SnipSnipMisterBurgess · 04/11/2018 22:58
I have some expensive ‘real’ jewellery from ‘the boom years.’ Gifts from exh when each child was born, or significant milestones. Now I’m separated and it galls me how much was spent, so they are hidden away unlikely to be worn any time soon. I’m much more comfortable now in affordable quirky pieces that I’ve chosen myself. I’m lucky to have them but I no longer get any pleasure from them.
On a separate note, while I love antique settings and pieces that look old, I often felt they aged me, like I was wearing all mummy’s things. Contemporary pieces make me look younger and a bit more adventurous.
TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 04/11/2018 23:17
Because something natural is impressive and special. There also isn't a huge price difference.
Can I spot the difference? Yeah but I'm a jewellery designer/goldsmith.
Perceived value is an enourmous thing, if we didn't go with that you have no idea how cheap some of your jewellery would be, likewise with many other things in the world 
scaryteacher · 07/11/2018 23:30
I have an antique diamond, gold and I think platinum engagement ring, which I love. For my 40th we went to Antwerp and I had some diamond earrings made, which I treasure, and for our 25th dh bought me a diamond and white gold pendant, which I wear all the time.
I have an eternity ring which is synthetic diamonds I think, but I don't often wear it.
I think diamonds, portable, small, is why I have them.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.